A Paradox Love
by ilovemedia18
Summary: She knows what she's doing and knows how to handle a gun. she hasn't seen her best friend in years and when reunited will they become more than friends? and what will he do to save her when the need arises or when the dream threatens to take her from him?
1. Finding you again

"Cobb what are we doing?" Cobb had taken me to some bar claiming that this is where we'd find another architect. "I thought that Ariadne was our new architect?"

"She is."

"So why do we need another?" Cobb smiled at Eames.

"Well, this one has experience, is a good pick pocket, and a good point man."

"Plus they're reliable, and are very handy with a gun." Cobb nodded in agreement with him.

"So basically Eames, Ariadne, and me combined yes?"

"Well if you put it that way then…yes." He smiled as the "show" as it were was starting.

"So where is he?" I looked around and didn't see anyone who I thought would fit that kind of person.

"She."

"What?" My head snapped back to him.

"So where is **she. **It's a woman Arthur." So I looked around for a woman but saw very few in this place. Then I heard her. That voice.

"I don't wanna be hurt

I just want to be little old me

Shouldn't have to think

Who am I suppose to be today

And what give you the right

To tell me who I should be

Who gave you that right"

Long brown hair that had a tint of red at the roots that curled all the way down to her waist. Brown eyes that sparkled in the light. My heart almost stopped completely. My eyes never left her. As much as I wanted to turn my head and glare at Cobb and Eames I couldn't. Her voice carried me back to old memories of a friendship that I thought was dead.

"Cause I, I feel lovely

Just the way that I am

Yes I feel lovely

The way that I am"

Cobb was going to pay for this. He was really going to pay for this one. He knew that I wouldn't be able to say no to this. When the song was over and she walked off stage and to the bar we were at she didn't even notice us. She looked at the owner behind the counter and held out her hand,

"Alright that was my last one. Our contract is over now hand it over." He smiled at her, but it wasn't a good smile,

"One more. I have some high paying customers coming in Friday and you'd make their day. In more than one way." My blood boiled at that and I was ready to shoot him when I felt Cobb pull on my arm. She gave him a sour look and yanked him by the collar over the bar and onto the floor. She pulled out a small knife and held it to his throat.

"Hand it over. Now!" The man trembled under her and pulled out a key. She took the key and made her way over to the other room. She disappeared for a few seconds and returned with a kid. The kid was small and frail with a dirty face. He looked hungry and tired and he clung to her like he was afraid of the rest of the world. She held him to her and began to walk out of the bar when we all heard shouts. We all looked to see the bar tender and some thugs charging towards her,

"Bring them back!" She picked the boy up and ran. I took after her and Eames and Cobb were right behind me. I wasn't going to loose her. Not again. She ran fast. Faster than I remembered, but I was still able to catch up with her. She took a quick glance at me before she stopped and handed me the boy,

"Please. Take him." I took the kid and ran down a side street. I found a motorcycle and hopped on it. I kept the boy in front of me as he clung to me for dear life and speed of down the street. When I found her again I slowed down just enough for her to jump on the back. We took off again and I felt her pull the gun out of its holster. She fired it at the car in front of us and I swerved to miss it. I saw Cobb and Eames get into a car and followed after it. Finally we stopped at the warehouse. She got off and the boy let go and hopped off and hugged her. She rubbed his head and made soothing sounds to calm the boy and I simply stood there. Watching her. Never once taking my eyes off her. She looked up and our eyes met. That's when I realized how close we were. My breath caught in my throat. She smiled at me and wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me closer,

"Hello Arthur." Hesitantly I put my arms around her and hugged her back,

"Carmen…"


	2. Talk me into it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a long time since I had seen him. Seven years to be exact. When I first saw him running down the street I thought it was one of those thugs and I was ready to stab him with my knife but when I looked…and I saw those brown eyes. I knew exactly who he was. I stopped and pushed Antonio into his hands. I didn't want either of them to get mixed up in this. I ran and ran and avoided them as much as possible. But when I hit the street I was out of options. It was open and I didn't have a means of transport. But then I saw him. Riding a motorcycle. He slowed down and I hopped on. I reached forward and slid his gun out of its holster and fired at the car in front of us. I took the tires out which caused it to crash and then held on tight to him as he followed the car in front of us. When we finally reached some warehouse I got a good look at him. He was still taller than me. His hair was slicked back and his hands were still shoved in his pockets. I smiled at him and wrapped him in a hug,

"Hello Arthur." He was hesitant at first but then he hugged back. His arms fit around my waist and held me tight,

"Carmen…" I didn't want to move. I was really tired and his shoulder made a very comfy pillow but Antonio said other wise,

"Carmen. Carmen!" I pulled away and got down at the boy's eye level.

"Antonio, this is Arthur." He looked up at Arthur and seemed rather nervous. "Don't be shy. Arthur's a good guy. He saved me, remember all those stories I told you?" His face visibly brightened,

"You saved my sister!" He smiled at the boy and also got down to his level,

"Yes, and she saved me many times too." He smiled and had a twinkle in his eyes. He always loved stories. Most of my stories though were from Inception. They made amazing bed time stories.

"Arthur, is there a phone I can use? I need to call my grandparents and have them pick Antonio up."

"Can't I stay with you Carmen?"

"No, you need to get a shower and get some food in you. Plus…I don't want you to get hurt." He smiled and hugged me,

"Alright." Something caught his eye and he wondered off towards it. Which left me alone with Arthur.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she knelt down by Antonio I kept praying that he wasn't her son. I didn't want it to be her son because that would mean she was with someone. And I don't think I'd be able to handle that. But that was all swept away when he said that I saved his sister. I knelt down beside him and smiled at him,

"Yes, and she saved me many times too." Oh that was true. Even before Inception she and I had know each other. I was so caught up in old memories I almost didn't catch her request for a phone. When the boy wandered off I took her to a phone. I watched as she dialed the number and she smiled at me. God help me I was forever lost in that smile. It melted me every time. I couldn't help but let a small smile grace my lips as I watched her hang up the phone,

"Grandfather will pick Antonio up in a few hours." She leaned forward and hugged me again. Her arms were wrapped tightly around my neck,

"I missed you." I put my arms around he waist and held her tight.

"I missed you too." I buried my head into her hair which smelled of strawberries. They always smelled of strawberries. I could've stayed that way forever but Eames had to go and ruin the moment.

"Oi, don't I get a hug?" She laughed and sent shivers up my spine.

"Of course." I watched Carmen let go of me and she hugged Eames. She smiled at him and Cobb walked in,

"Hello Carmen."

"Hello Cobb." They shook hands and Ariadne walked in. Instantly Carmen went into predator mode. New blood was always hard for her ever since the accident. She raised an eyebrow at her and circled her like a predator circles its prey. She watched her intently.

"What exactly is this job offer you have for me?"

"Just like it used to be. Extraction and Inception."

"Of whom?"

"Robert Fischer Jr." Her head snapped towards Cobb.

"Really… why?" I knew that this was going to end badly.

"One last job. Then… I can go home." She didn't say anything but simply nodded her head.

"Alright…now what's the catch? You have your extractor. Your point man. You forger. And your architect. So…what do you need me for?" Cobb let out a sigh. He knew that this was coming. When he didn't say anything she stiffened. "How far down."

"Three dreams."

"Are you mad? Remember what happened when we went three dreams in? Have you tried waking up from three dreams deep? How do you know killing you will bring you back from the dream?" She was more than angry. She was livid.

"We can go without you. We have all the parts we need. We could go without you." Her eyes drifted toward me and simply nodded. She knew what game Cobb was playing it. She was the only one with the most experience with all the things that could go wrong in a dream world. She was always prepared for everything and knew how to handle just about every single scenario should something go wrong. She was a quick thinker.

"Yeah and watch you all go into a suicide dream. I don't think so." Cobb smiled knowing he'd won. She let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "Alright. But when we get there if things don't go right I'm pulling the plug. And if I see any sign of Mal…I'm out." She walked out of the room and she went up the stairs and out onto the roof. Of course I followed her and when I got onto the roof she was leaning against the banister. I walked up beside her and leaned against the banister next to her.

"Arthur…I don't…If Mal's there all bets are off and all of us could be in serious danger. I…I don't want to loose someone…not again." She put her head on my shoulder and I pulled her close.

"This time I'm staying with you." She smiled and held on to me.

"And I'm glad for it."


	3. no dreams only memories

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen Pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I spent my night tossing and turning. I couldn't sleep. Everything was racing through my mind. Everything that could go wrong would go wrong. I didn't want to loose anybody this time. I couldn't take it. I got up and made my way out of the room. I was staying just above the warehouse in a small flat type place. I wouldn't call it a flat because it didn't have a kitchen or a bathroom. Just rooms to sleep in and what would be a make shift living room. I sat by the fire place and focused on the fire. I knew that going down three dreams deep with someone who has no idea what's happening could be very dangerous. I also knew that Mal could be there at any second. Mal was the one thing that tore me away from Inception. My job. And my best friend. I was working with Arthur and long before we met Cobb. We worked together in, well, what was just a little bit below legal. Nothing big like robbing banks or anything. More of stealing information. Undercover kind of work. Then Cobb came along with Inception and made our job twenty times easier. But then a few years later and Mal came into the picture. She wasn't bad… at first…but then something happened. She and Cobb lost all grip on reality and what seemed like years for them was only hours for us. She began to blur the line between reality and dream. And when she took her own life…well…Cobb was never the same. He was a wanted man now. She thought they'd die together and wake up. She ruined his life. Still is. She started to pop up in dreams. When we'd have a job she'd start popping up. At first it was just once in a blue moon. Then once a week. Then it became every single day. Every job we had she'd pop up. I finally called it quits once the accident happened. I didn't even notice that Arthur had sat down beside me until his voice brought me back from my thoughts.

"Can't sleep."

"No… do you still dream. I mean…when you're no longer hooked up to the device and just lying in your own bed. Do you still dream?" My eyes locked with his and the fire bounced off of them. Something in his eyes melted my heart. He was my best friend for years.

"At times. But it never is the same."

"What are they like?"

"They're filled with memories. Of old times."

"I don't. Dream anymore that is. Ever since I gave this job up…I don't dream." I was in a tank top and shorts. And when I felt his hand travel over the scar on my shoulder I shuddered. "I could've saved him. If I had just used the kick back sooner… I could've saved him…" I felt Arthur pull me closer to him and he wrapped me in his arms. Arthur was the only one who ever saw me cry. He was the only one who I showed my true feelings to. I couldn't trust anyone else. He ran his fingers through my hair and I listened to the sound of his heartbeat as my eyes slowly began to droop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking of Carmen. I got up and decided to sit by the fire, but Carmen had already beaten me to it. She was deep in thought and I sat down beside her.

"Can't sleep."

"No… do you still dream. I mean…when you're no longer hooked up to the device and just lying in your own bed. Do you still dream?" I searched her eyes for something. Anything.

"At times. But it never is the same."

"What are they like?" I thought about it. They were usually about her. And about all the old times we had together.

"They're filled with memories. Of old times."

"I don't. Dream anymore that is. Ever since I gave this job up…I don't dream." My eyes caught the scar on her shoulder and absentmindedly I ran my hand over it. I felt her shudder under my touch but didn't take the time to think about it right now. She was hurting. Hurting from past memories. "I could've saved him. If I had just used the kick back sooner… I could've saved him…" I pulled her close to me and she laid her head on my chest. My fingers ran through her hair and her breathing began to regulate. She was asleep. I remember that day so clearly…

_We were trying Inception and her older brother Mauro was still on the team. Mauro was a good friend of mine and Mal was still here as well. We were going to experiment by going into a dream within a dream. We managed it. No sweat. But then everything went to hell. Mal wanted to try three dreams deep. We did it, but then we realized something. That going in three dreams sleep with normal sleep wasn't stable. The dream began to collapse. And the subconscious was attacking us for no apparent reason. We had a kick back and we were ready to use it but the dream was collapsing so fast. And the kick back was sending us back one by one…_

_Mauro didn't make it. He fell into a limbo like state. Mal thought that killing him in the second dream might bring him back. It didn't. And when we woke up to reality…Mauro was dead. His brain wasn't working. Carmen never forgave Mal for it. And Mal changed that day. It didn't bother her that someone had died because of her._

Slowly I felt myself drifting back into sleep and memories flooded my mind as I held on to the warm body beside me.


	4. An Idea

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I woke I realized I wasn't in my room. Rather I was on the floor in the living room. What's more I wasn't alone. I was lying there with my head on Arthur's chest. I could hear his heartbeat and I could feel his slow and steady breathing. His arm was wrapped around me and strangely I felt… comfortable. I felt him shift slightly and I looked up to see him waking. I turned on my stomach so I could see him properly. He looked cute lying there on the ground. But he was my friend. My only true friend. His eyes were still sleepy and I pushed a strand of hair out of his face. I don't know why. But I just did. It's like some new found feeling was taking over, and I was just along for the ride. I didn't mind though. In fact I kind of liked it. He smiled at me and I noticed how close our faces were. I was so close to kissing him. My lips just barely touched his when the others came barging in.

"Hey sleepy heads!" We pulled away quick and stood up. The others either didn't notice or wouldn't embarrass us right then and there.

"What's up?"

"Well, Eames is going to go study the people that have an affect on our marks life. I'm going to go see about a way to stabilize the dream, and Arthur here is going to go and study the mark."

"What am I going to do?"

"You are going to go downstairs and help Ariadne create the three level dream." I raised an eyebrow at them and they laughed.

"Relax." Arthur put a hand on my shoulder, "She's fine. There's nothing you need to worry about." I sighed and nodded,

"Tell Yusuf I said hello."

"Will do." Every one was heading out the door and pulled on Arthur's arm a little and hugged him,

"Thanks…for last night. That meant a lot to me." I kissed him on the cheek and quickly made my way downstairs. I found Ariadne studying pictures. I sat down beside her and picked one of the pictures up. She looked at me but I stayed focused on the task in front of me,

"Did I offend you in any way?" I smiled and looked up to her,

"No, I'm sorry. I've seen a lot and it's very hard for me to trust people anymore. I'm Carmen." I held my hand out and she smiled and shook it,

"Ariadne…except Arthur. You don't trust anyone except Arthur." It was silent for a moment before she turned to look at me, "I don't mean to overstep a boundary or anything but… are you and Arthur dating?" I let a small smile grace my lips and I looked at her,

"No...We're not. He's been my best friend for a long time now." She smiled at me and we continued to work. But no matter how hard I focused that idea stayed in my head. And in this line of work I know just how dangerous an idea can be.


	5. Sogni

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur Pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was so close. I wake up and she's leaning over me. There was something different in her eyes. Something I had never seen before. She pushed a strand of my hair out of my face and leaned closer to me. Her lips were so close to mine. And then the cavalry arrived. We moved quickly in the vain hope that they hadn't seen us, but in the end I knew they had. Cobb told us what each of us was doing today and when he said Carmen was working with Ariadne I placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Relax, she's fine. There's nothing you need to worry about." I knew if it came from me then she'd do it. She was different now. She was still the same fun loving girl I met in high school, but she had hardened a little. Fear had hardened her towards others, and only a few were her friends. And even they don't get the full picture. I was the only one who saw her as she really was. A loving girl who had her heart broken. We were all making our way out of the room when I felt her hand on my arm and she pulled me into a hug,

"Thanks…for last night. That meant a lot to me." I felt her lips touch my cheek and before I could say a word she was gone. I went to study our mark, Robert Fischer Jr., but my mind wasn't focused. It was else where. I tried my best and in the end I thought that I did ok. But my mind was definitely not focused on the task at hand. I headed down the street to meet up with Eames and Cobb. I prepared myself for the laughing hyenas knowing what they had seen this morning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once Ariadne and I were finished I went to clear my head. Boxing. One of the greatest games to be invented. Arthur had taught me in high school when he needed someone to train with. At first I hated it but then as time went on I fell in love with it. I was using the gym down the street and I was focused on beating the crap out of the bag in font of me. I didn't wear gloves because I thought they just got in the way. So I was bare handed. My fists were clenched shut and my knuckles were turning raw. I was still beating the bag when I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. They were heavy on my shoulders and knew exactly who it was.

"You're gonna hurt yourself love." I smiled and turned around to see Eames standing there,

"Eames, what are you doing here?"

"I came to spar, but by the look of your hands I think its best we just talk." We sat down on a bench and he handed me a water bottle which I gratefully accepted.

"How are you?" I let out a sigh and looked at Eames dead in the eye.

"I've been better. But that's not what you came here to talk to me about." He smiled at me,

"You were always a smart one. Darling… I must ask, not because I'm prying you for information but simply because I want you to be safe… If Mal does show up and we are three dreams in… what will you do?" I thought long and hard before I gave him my answer,

"If Cobb won't kill her… then I will." He shook his head understandingly,

"But don't go looking for a fight love. If Mal gets you first then it's game over. And Arthur would never let Cobb live it down." His eyes showed a playfulness in them and his smile said the same. I raised an eye brow at him,

"And what makes you think that?" He laughed,

"Oh come on love. It's obvious that he loves you… and I believe the same could be said for you… Am I correct?" I gave him glare knowing he'd won.

"Well, we'll just have to see about that won't we?" He smiled and we headed off to the warehouse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was sitting in a chair reading about my mark when Eames and Carmen came in. She had a tank top and shorts on and looked like she had been working our or more likely boxing. She said she was going to take a shower and left the room. Eames went to see if Cobb needed any help. I heard the water turn on and then the sweet sound of her voice,

"Standing at the back door

She tried to make it fast

One tear hit the hard wood

It fell like broken glass

She said sometimes love slips away

And you just can't get it back

Let's face it"

My eyes shut and a smile fell on my lips,

"For one split second

She almost turned around

But that would be like pouring rain drops

Back into a cloud

So she took another step and said

I see the way out and I'm gonna' take it"

I heard Eames chuckle and opened my eyes to see him grinning at me,

"You are so ridiculous. If you love her just tell her. I'm sure she loves you too. You'll never know unless you ask mate."

"Eames… when I want your opinion on how to ask my best friend out I'll give you a call." He laughed and left the room. I shut my eyes again and took a deep breath,

"I don't wanna' spend my life jaded

Waiting to wake up one day and find

That I've let all these years go by

Wasted."

Eames had a point though. I'll never know unless I ask. But if she doesn't love me then I'll be left with a broken heart. The water shut off and she emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a towel,

"Hey Arthur, um…I kind of left my clothes in the upper room. Would you be an amazing friend and get them for me?"

"Sure."

"You're the best!"

"But you owe me." She raised an eyebrow at me,

"We'll see about that." I laughed and made my way upstairs. I found her clothes and was just about to go back down when something caught my eye. It was a picture of Carmen and I. Just after college. I had her on my back and her arms were wrapped around my neck. I smiled and then noticed a small book on the floor as well.

_Sogni. _Dreams. I knew that she'd probably kill me if she knew I was reading this but I was just too intrigued as to what my little Italiano was up to.

_October 16,_

_I haven't had a dream in three years now. It's sad to think that I won't dream any more. Mainly because my dreams used to be of my Mauro. I miss Mauro so much. He was my best friend besides Arthur. Arthur. I miss Arthur as well. I never knew just how much he meant to me until he was gone. _

I skipped a few more pages until I came to yesterday.

_May 7,_

_Over all today was an interesting day. I got Antonio back from that stupid bar tender. Two years. I worked two years to get my baby brother back. And I hated every minute of it. But I finally got him, and I got my best friend back as well. Arthur still has his hair slicked back and still has the ever so calm face. His smile is even more adorable than I remembered. But his eyes are what really kill me. They still hold all the love and compassion he had when we were in high school. I missed Arthur so much. So much that I think I'm actually in love with him. It hurt to be away from him and I hate it that it took me this long to realize it…"_

My mind stopped as well as my heart. I put the book and the picture back were I found them and picked up her clothes and left. Now I had the courage to ask her. We had only a few days left. So it's now or never.


	6. Il mio amore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I waited and waited for Arthur to bring me my clothes. I heard a knock on the bathroom door and opened it,

"Finally! What happened? Did you get lo-" I didn't get to finish however. His lips were pressed to mine. I was dazed at first but I was quick to react and kiss back. His lips felt soft against mine and I was lost in complete happiness. But then I came back to reality when the cold air hit me. I pulled back some and smiled at him. I gave him a quick kiss and took my clothes before shutting the door. I changed quickly and didn't even bother with my wet curly hair. I flung the door open to see him standing there also looking dazed. I smiled at him and put my hand on the side of his face. I leaned in and placed a slow kiss on his lips. He reacted and kissed back. His arms snaked around my waist and my arms found their way behind his neck. They were sweet kisses that said just how much we loved each other. Although we pulled away when we heard the others coming.

"Alright, so, Fischer's father is dying and he is making preparations to take control of his father's empire." Cobbs didn't seem to notice anything different. I was standing close to Arthur and no one really seemed to notice.

"His godfather, Browning, plays a major role in Fischer's life." Eames looked at us and started to grin. Well, so much for that.

"Eames will portray his godfather and plant the idea."

Saito wants Cobb and us to plant an idea in Fischer's head to split his father's company up.

"I will be coming with you to make sure my investment is protected."

"No way." All eyes turned to me, "Taking someone with us who has absolutely no experience is dangerous."

"I'm coming with you." I was about to say something when I felt Arthur pull me back. My back hit his chest and his arms held me where I was. To anyone else it didn't look out of the ordinary. But the fact that my cheeks felt like they were burning didn't change the fact that Eames was **still **grinning at us. I glared at him but that only made him grin more.

The others dispersed and went their separate ways to complete the tasks they had. All but Eames. Once everyone was gone and out of ear shot he laughed,

"About time!" He grinned at us again and actually hugged me and slapped Arthur on the back, "You two were going to kill me with the way you two went on." Arthur smiled and slipped his arms around my waist and I smirked Eames. Cobb popped his head in,

"Eames I need you." He raised a questioning eyebrow at us and Eames simply replied, "I'll explain later." My face was really burning now. But we were alone now. His lips danced on my neck and his arms were secure around me. His lips made their way from my neck up to my ear effectively sending chills up my spine,

"I thought you'd never ask." He smiled against my skin,

"I haven't yet." I smiled because he was right. He hadn't asked me yet, "Carmen Gemma De Luca will you be my girlfriend?" I loved the way my name rolled of his tongue. I smiled and shifted in his arms so I was facing him. I placed a kiss on his lips,

"Yes." He smiled and kissed me again. We just kept kissing back and forth. Holding each other. I loved Arthur. He was more than just my best friend now. Il mio amore. My love.


	7. In Your arms

I spent the night with Arthur talking about all of the old memories we had of when we were younger.

"Remember when I first met you?" I laughed,

"How could I forget? I could barely speak English."

_I had just arrived at my new high school from Bologna Italy. A city between Florence and Venice. My family moved here when my father got transferred to America. I knew little English and was already enrolled as a freshman in a local high school in Los Angeles California. I was trying to find my way around the school and ran into some big kid in the hall way._

"_Hey! Watch where ya-" When he saw me he smiled. It wasn't a good smile either. "A new kid. Pretty little thing." He got closer and I stood my ground. I didn't understand a word he said. I caught vey little of it. Kid. I knew that word! His little group surrounded me and instantly I became stiff. It felt like I was back on the streets of Italy during a fight with my older brother Mauro. He took hold of me and I tried to push away. _

"_Aw come on gorgeous don't be that way." _

"_Scendere a me voi maiale!" Basically I called him a pig and told him to get off. Slowly I felt my hand drift towards the knife in my back pocket. Hey when you grow up in Italy with and older brother like Mauro it's always best to be prepared. But I felt a hand gab my arm. It wasn't rough like the pig in front of me but softer._

"_John, leave her alone." I turned around to see who intervened. It was a boy about my age with short brown hair slicked back. He was taller than me and was lean but had some muscle on him. He didn't look like a jock but he wasn't a nerd either._

"_You're defending this girl Arthur? Why? We're just having a little fun." He moved closer to me and lashed out at him with my fist. But the kid moved quicker and held on to me so I didn't hit him. "Feisty isn't she?"_

"_Avresti dovuto lasciarmi lo ha colpito.__" __He __**really **__should've let me hit him. But his grip was tight and I wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon. _

"_She doesn't know a bit of English. Come on Arthur it'd be fun."_

"_Making fun of the girl because she doesn't know the language isn't funny John." This John guy approached us and ripped me away from the Arthur kid. Arthur brought his arm back and punched John in the nose. He let go and I punched him in the face before kneeing him in the gut. Arthur grabbed my hand and we made a mad dash down the hall. We stopped once we were outside and in what I assumed to be his car._

"_Grazi."_

"_You're welcome. I'm Arthur by the way." _

"_Carmen Gemma De Luca." He held out his hand but I don't why. What was I supposed to do? Normally in Italy we just kissed one another on the cheek in greeting._

"_You're supposed to shake it." I gave him a questioning look. "Shake." He took my hand and shook it up and down._

"_S-h-a-k-e." He smiled,_

"_Yeah shake." I smiled seeing that I understood what he was saying._

"_Shake." He smiled at me and from there on we were inseparable._

"You kept saying "shake" every time you saw me and I would shake your hand." I turned red at remembering just how bad my English was. His lips were by my ear, "But it was cute." I smiled and leaned up and kissed him.

"I have you to thank for my English now." He smiled. I remember all those days I'd spend at his house with him teaching me how to speak English. It was a long slow process but I learned none the less. I even taught him a little Italian.

_We were currently sitting on his couch and he was helping me with my homework and teaching me how to speak English._

"_Ok, Carmen, repeat after me. Hello my name is Carmen Gemma De Luca." I giggled at him._

"_Mi Carmen, you Arthur." He laughed and clarified that I was supposed to repeat what he said. "Hello m-my name i-is Carmen Gemma De Luca." _

"_Good. You're getting better." I smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. He turned bright red and I giggled, _

"_Grazi. F-for h-helping me?" He nodded seeing that I said the right words._

"_You're welcome."_

It was nice just lying here in his arms remembering old memories. Because tomorrow would not be an easy day. But for now I had Arthur. And that was just fine with me.


	8. The memory of the scar

The next day Ariadne and I were working on the labyrinth when I felt her eyes on me. I was in a tank top and I knew what she was looking at.

"You can ask you know."

"Where did you get the scar?" I didn't stop my work but I decided to tell her,

"Mal."

"Mal did this to you?" I nodded my head.

"Just after Mal and Cobb came back from their long stay in the dream Mal began to doubt that this was actually reality. She was determined to prove that she was right. Three doctors declared her sane. It was just her and I. We were working on a way to improve Inception. More of I was working on the machine and she was talking to me from behind. I never even saw it coming until I turned around. She was so determined to prove her point…"

"_But Carmen can't you see? This is a dream." I was working with a screw driver and some lubricant. We were noticing a small glitch in the device that would at times inadvertently wake up our mark, so I was trying to fix it._

"_Mal if this was a dream then how come I have no control over it? How come my watch isn't pointing at 12:00 and my compass isn't spinning around and around never stopping?"_

"_Because you don't know you're in a dream." I chuckled slightly. I stood up and smiled and began to turn around,_

"_Mal how can I be in a-" I gasped as I felt the knife penetrate into my shoulder._

"_I promise you, you'll wake up. This is just a dream." The pain was terrible,_

"_A-Arthur! E-Eames!" My knees were beginning to give. I saw Arthur, Eames, and Cobb come running in. Arthur and Eames grabbed me before I could fall and Cobb wrenched the knife from his wife's hands. Cobb looked at her in horror. I remember the pain in his eyes._

"So she stabbed you with a knife?" I nodded my head.

"She never doubted that this was a dream. Even in death she believed with all her heart that this was not reality." A silence fell over Ariadne. I continued my work until I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and lips on my cheek,

"Ciao."

"Hi, how's it going?" I let out a sigh,

"Well, we've created most of the labyrinth. There are still a few things here and there that we're working on. I'm creating some escape roots if we need it and adding in some features that can help us." Arthur smiled at me just as the booming voice came into the room.

"Ello darlings." I turned around to see Eames standing there smiling.

"Eames, what have you brought me?" He sat a notebook full of pictures and descriptions of the people in our marks life. Ariadne gave me a questioning look,

"I play more than just an architect." I studied the women in his life and found a few promising ones. Eames looked over the men and we came to an agreement. That he would have to play Browning and I'll have to play the part of the beautiful dressed up woman trying to get in with the rich man.

"Eames, why do I have to play the…gold digger? Sì gold digger." Arthur smirked at us.

"Because love, you're the woman and therefore you will be much more effective in…well… getting to know him better." I raised an eyebrow at him,

"You mean seduce him." He and Arthur busted out laughing.

"Yes love. Basically." I rolled my eyes at them.

"Well, shall we try it out?" He nodded his head and all four of us made our way over to the chairs.

"Ariadne darling will monitor for us?" She nodded her head as the three of us sat down. And in no time I was back in Inception. It had been a long time but it still felt the same. I was in a ballroom with Eames and Arthur and I made my way into the other room and changed my appearance. I was in a purple dress with spaghetti straps. It was shimmery but not sparkly and ended just above my knee cap. My hair went from long and brown to a short straight and blonde. I changed my eye color to a bright blue. I smiled, liking what I came up with, and made my way back into the ball room. I spotted Arthur and made my way over to him. Just as I was about to come in contact with him I noticed something. Or rather someone.

"No way. It can't be." Mauro? He still looked the same the day he died. His brown curly hair that ended at his ears. Those chocolate eyes. The tan skin. It all screamed Mauro. My mouth hung open slightly and I had a bewildered look on my face. He turned his back to me and I started to make my way towards him and just as I was about to touch him I felt a hand pull on my arm. My eyes locked with a man. He was taller than me and had brown hair with green eyes. But the voice was unmistakable,

"No love." I pulled my silver pocket watch out. I opened it; one side had a compass on it and the other a watch. I prayed that it wasn't true and this was reality even though in my heart I knew it wasn't. The compass kept spinning and never stopped. The clock stayed on 12:00. I felt a small tear fall down my face and Eames pulled me into a hug. I felt my appearance change and bit back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Wake me up… please… wake me up." My voice was but a whisper. It was my dream. I knew it was. But the thing is, Mauro wasn't going to show up in jobs like Mal did. I dealt with my pain. I said goodbye. But that's the thing with your own dreams. They hold small fragments of memories. It's your subconscious's way of letting you know that you're human. To make you feel emotion. Arthur had joined us now and the people had all begun to fade. Eames was gone. I assumed he was back in reality. Arthur held me tight and kissed my head. Next thing I knew was back in reality and gasping for breath tears running down my face. I never cried in front of people… but seeing Mauro again… I couldn't take it. Arthur had picked me up off the chair and carried me up to the flat. Once we were out of sight of the others I lost it. Arthur never left me. We didn't say anything because there was nothing to say. He and Eames knew that Mauro wouldn't show up. They knew that I said goodbye, but the pain of it being so real. I could've reached out and touched him, but it wasn't real. That's why Eames stopped me. I buried my head in Arthur's chest and in the end I had exhausted myself. Slowly my eyes shut and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	9. Mothers and Fathers

When I woke up it was a little later in the day and I sat up. I was slightly dizzy and had a head ache form all the crying. Feeling drained of all life I got up and pulled out the cell phone that the guys had given me. It rang and rang and rang and rang.

"Ciao?"

"Mamma?"

"Carmen! Come stai? (How are you?)"

"Bene e tu? (Good and you?)"

"Io sto bene. Tuo fratello sta bene pure. (I am fine. Your brother is fine as well.)"

"Buono. Volevo solo ... Mi manchi. (Good. I just wanted to... I miss you.)"

"Così, Antonio mi dice che voi due ha incontrato un vecchio amico del tuo. (So, Antonio tells me that you two ran into an old friend of yours.)" I smiled knowing that my little brother would rat me out to mom.

"Sì mamma. Io sono con Arthur e gli altri. (Yes mom. I am with Arthur and the others.)"

"Nulla di nuovo con voi e Arthur? Mi piace Arthur. Lui è un uomo buono. (Anything new with you and Arthur? I like Arthur. He is a good man.)" I smiled. She always loved Arthur. She loved him from the day she met him. She never stopped talking about Arthur. She always told me that if I was going to marry somebody it had better be Arthur.

Just then Arthur came in smiling. I put my hand over the phone,

"Mamma. She wants to know if there's anything new between us." He smiled and took the phone from my hands. Now it was time to see if my Italian lessons have stuck with him all this time,

"La signora De Luca. Mi è Arthur. (Mrs. De Luca. It is me Arthur.)"

"Arthur! E 'bello sentire da voi mio figlio. (It is good to hear from you my son.)" Arthur laughed a little and sat down beside me. I wrapped my arms around his chest and put my head against him. I smiled as I listened to the conversation between my mother and Arthur. Eventually he handed me the phone and said goodbye,

"Addio mamma. Ti amo troppo. (Goodbye mom. I love you too.)" I felt better after talking with my mother. She always knew how to make me feel better. Arthur took my hand and pulled me into a kiss before pulling me up off the bed and down the stairs.

"Fischer Sr. is dead." I nodded at Saito, who looked at Eames to continue,

"He'll take a plane to LA with the coffin."

"He'll probably ride first class. There'll be people. We'd have to buy the pilot, the stewardess, the cabin-"

"I bought the airlines." We all looked at Saito, who simply shrugged, "Thought it'd be neater."

"The stewardess will be our monitor. Yusuf will provide the sedative." I nodded and we all went to prepare for the journey to the LA. I packed everything I had and made my way out to the car. It was a quick journey to the airport and we got on the plane rather quickly. I sat right in front of Arthur and right beside Fischer. Now it was time for me to earn his trust. Make him feel comfortable around me.

"Hello." He looked at me and smiled,

"Hi." He extended his hand and I shook it, "I'm Robert Fischer Jr."

"Donatella Gemma." I always used my sister's first name and my middle name as a cover. He smiled at me and kissed my hand,

"Italian?"

"Sì."

"Ho passato due anni in Italia con mio padre. Devo dire che il vostro paese è bello. (I spent two years in Italy with my father. I must say your country is beautiful.)" I smiled at him,

"Grazie. Se in Italia sei rimasto? (Thank you. Where in Italy did you stay?)"

"Venice. Se in Italia sei? (Where in Italy are you from?)"

"Bologna."

"Bello. Ho trascorso una settimana in cui mio padre era in viaggio d'affari. (Beautiful. I spent a week there when my father was on a business trip.)"

Just then the buckle your seatbelt light came on,

"Excuse me sir. I think you dropped this." Cobb handed him his passport which I knew Eames had lifted off of him and he checks it.

"Thank you, I must have dropped it." The two of them talk a little and they order drinks. Once he's out we all hook up and relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the way to the plane I had thought about what we had discussed earlier. 10 hours of reality gives 1 week in the first dream, 6 months in the second dream and 10 years in third dream. We had to be very careful. This could turn out very well or it could all go to hell. When we got on the plane Carmen took her spot beside Fischer to gain his trust. When he kissed her hand I about lost my cool demeanor. And when he started to speak to her in Italian I really hated him. But I kept calm knowing that I couldn't blow this. I smirked to myself though when she took on her sister's name. That used to be the name she used when we met our marks. Then Dom took over and Fischer took a drink of the sedative and went out like a light. Then we moved quickly and we all stuck the needles in our arms and sank back into a deep, deep sleep.


	10. Level One Trouble

We got thrown into the rain in a city.

"Way to go Yusuf. Rain. And I'm in the middle of it!" I looked at my outfit. Red tank top, a pair of grey cargo pants and combat boots. Normally I'd think that this is great. But it's raining. I looked around for the guy's cars and I saw them, but I never made it to them. Shots rang out and I looked to my left to see armed men running towards me, I took off down the road and pulled two semi automatic pistols out. I ran, the rain belted my face and I had to keep running. Who knows what would happen to me if I died here. A man pulled out in front of me and I kicked him army style in the face and shot him. One down, a whole subconscious left to go. I watched as a train started running through the main road. What fresh hell was this? I ran to the taxi that everybody seemed to be shooting at. I shot a few of the guys around it to help clear the area. I saw a man on motorbike sitting in the traffic,

"Mind if I borrow this? Geez thanks." And I pushed him off. I got in front of the taxi and revved the engine down the street. We pulled into the warehouse and we unloaded. Saito was shot. Eames and Arthur had to help him out. I took Fischer and threw him into the other room.

Cobb began yelling at Arthur, "How did you not see this coming? That Fischer had training to prevent extractors from breaking into his mind, and having a militarized subconscious that will find the invaders and destroy them? This was your responsibility! We are not prepared for this!" I stepped between the two to prevent any more fighting. I glared at Cobb. He knew that there were risks we had to take and that this was no time to fight. Saito was in pain and Eames came back with a pistol.

"Well, let's put him out of his misery." Eames cocked his handgun and pointed it at Saito.

"Don't do that!" Cobb grabbed Eames' arm.

"Chill out, Cobb."

"That's it, I'm pulling the plug. We'll die and wake up."

"It's not something that should be messed with! Now Saito's injured and killing someone in this dream will not wake them up!" We all looked at him and I closed my eyes with pain etched cross my face. I knew what he meant now.

"Cobb, what are you talking about?" Ariadne looked horrified.

Cobb sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Because of the strong sedative required to build stable dreams within dreams, dying within the dream won't wake us up. Instead it…"

"You'll be in limbo." All eyes turned to me before Cobb nodded,

"It will condemn us to a state of limbo where we will be unable to establish the difference between dreams and reality, and eventually become insane. I've experienced firsthand."

Arthur and Eames were mad. I can't blame them. Arthur turned to Yusuf, "I can't believe you. Where you in on this? How much did he promise you? Half his share?" 

Yusuf shook his head, "All of it."

"That's great. Just great. Now we're stuck in Fischer's mind and we'll be dropped in limbo if we fail."

"If we fail, we'll be killed no doubt." Cobb sighed and threw a black hockey mask at Arthur. I sat down beside Eames as he prepared to become Browning. Eames began to scream as though he were being tortured. Then he changed into Browning. I heard them question him about the fake safe but my mind wasn't focused on what they were saying. I was trying to save Saito's life. I managed to pull the bullet out and poured some antiseptic on it but the bleeding was bad.

"I promise that the pain will lessen the further down we go." He nodded his head and then the guys returned with Eames and Fischer with bags over their heads. Well more of Fischer with the bag over his head and Eames back to his normal looking self.

Fischer's subconscious was beginning to surround the warehouse. Arthur and I pulled out submachine guns and fired at them,

"You look good in red." I smiled at him,

"Don't be afraid to dream a little bigger darling." And what does he pull out. Basically a grenade launcher. I smiled as he took the man on the roof out. We all got into the van and speed off. I sat beside Arthur and held his hand when we went under again. Yusuf was in charge of this dream now. My plan to pull the plug had all gone to hell.


	11. Show time honey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This whole plan had gone down the drain. I knew that not being able to focus when I was studying Fischer would come back to bite me. But not as bad as the bomb Cobb dropped on us. If we die here then there's no way back and we'll fall into limbo. I did notice though that Carmen was wearing a red tank top. She always did look good in red. And now we were in a van going into yet another dream. This one I had made. A restaurant in a hotel where Cobb will talk to Fischer about his security.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You ready darling?" I smiled at Eames and turned around. I was in a red backless dress with black heels. I had black hair that was short and straight. I had red lipstick on and my eye color was now a bright green.

"I was born ready darling." I had a Brooklyn accent and I was sporting a pair of semi automatic pistols strapped to my thighs, hidden by the dress of course but easy to get at. He smiled at me and Cobb nodded at us,

"You're on love." I sauntered into the restaurant and found Fischer at the bar. I smiled and winked at Eames to let him know to go on with the plan. I sat down beside Fischer and smiled at him.

"Hello doll." He seemed to just now notice me and smiled at me. He seemed distracted though. "What's wrong doll?"

"Ah… well you see… nothing." He let out a sigh and I smiled I leaned closer and put my hand on the side of his face and made a sad face,

"You can tell me love. I'm very good at listening." I played with his hair trying to get him worked up. I mostly did all the talking but he wasn't focusing. I saw Cob walk in and sit on the other side of Fischer.

"Well, here's my number in case you want to talk…or not." I put the numbers that he had shouted of in the last dream down as my phone number. I gave him a wink and left. I got out into the hall and Eames whistled at me,

"I'll take that number." I laughed,

"Eames honey, you're good. But not that good." I still had my accent and look and changed them once we went around the corner. I kept the dress though. I didn't want to change it. Not yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ariadne and I sat on bench just a few steps up in the hotel. We were trying to look as normal as possible. But then Eames and Carmen came around the corner and I about lost it. She handed her information off to Eames and then started up the stairs. People began to stare at us. Well, more at me and Ariadne. Eames and Carmen were good at disguises and cloaking,

"Cobb's pointing the dream out to Fischer."

"Kiss her." I looked at Carmen with a bizarre look,

"What?"

"Kiss her, maybe it'll shift their attention from us." I made it quick and leaned in and kissed Ariadne. It wasn't the same as Carmen but if it did the trick then I'd kiss my own mother…well…maybe not. But the point is understood. It didn't change a thing. They were still staring at us,

"Well it was worth a try." I smirked at her and she smiled with a roll of the eyes. I smiled at her and then she furrowed her brow, "What are you thinking?"

"How fast do you think you two can move?"

"Pretty fast…why?"

"Because I'm…" She pulled out two semi automatic pistols that were strapped to her thighs and smiled at me, "Going to be your distraction." I grinned at her. This is why I love her. I grabbed Ariadne's hand and took off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't want to tell Arthur to kiss Araidne but if it could get his subconscious to ignore us then ok. I'll live. It didn't so I came up with a new plan. Maybe they'll ignore them if their focus is on me.

"What are you thinking?"

"How fast do you think you two can move?"

"Pretty fast…why?"

"Because I'm…" I pulled out my pistols and smiled at him, "Going to be your distraction." They took off and so did I. I ran in the opposite direction and fired my guns at the approaching subconscious projections with guns. Their was a lot of them but soon enough I realized I wasn't alone.

"Ello love." Eames was right beside me. We fired through them and ran into the elevator firing at projections until the door shut. "I like your plan love."

"Thanks Eames." I took deep breathes and when we reached the level I followed Eames down to the room. We entered it and began the set up for the next level of dream. Once everything was set up we went into the hall to meet Cobb and Fischer.

"It's ok, they're my team." He seemed shook up but that was understandable. Still, we set up and hooked him up then ourselves. Everyone was hooked up except Cobb and Arthur. Arthur was going to stay here and create the kick back. I pulled him into a kiss and he held me tight against him,

"Be carful il mi amore." He smiled at me and kissed me with as much passion as he could in such a short time. And let me tell you, it was a lot of passion.

"Be safe Carmen." I hooked up my arm and went into a deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arthur pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Cobb," He turned to face me and I gripped his arm, "If anything happens to her…" He gripped my arm back and looked me straight in the eye,

"She's a good woman Arthur. I promise I won't let her die." I nodded at him and watched him go under.


	12. Always in the way

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Eames pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We were going into the third dream and I remembered my promise to Arthur just after we came out of Carmen's dream.

_Arthur came back down the stairs and sat on a chair. He put his face in his hands and rubbed his temples._

"_She alright."_

"_She's sleeping. She's exhausted herself." _

"_She's still in pain."_

"_But the difference between her and Cobb…"_

"_She's said goodbye." I nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder._

"_Eames, promise me that when we get separated…"_

"_I'll look after her."_

"_Thanks Eames."_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen Pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Snow. As much as I fought having this dream take place in the snow, ultimately Araidne won. But I did get my wish of making most of the maze.

"Do you hear that?" We all stopped and listened. I turned to Cobb,

"Music."

"It's way too soon. Something must have happened." Then there was a loud boom,

"What was that?" I looked to Cobb and Eames who shared my horrified look,

"Yusuf has ten seconds left." Cobb had figured that part out in his head so I knew the next part,

"Arthur has three minutes left."

"And we have sixty minutes left." And Eames finished.

"Fischer, you and Saito make your way to the bunker. We'll draw the guard's attention and you just try to get inside to the safe." He seemed nervous but shook his head. The two of them took off down the white slope and Cobb turned to Eames and me,

"Carmen you and I will-"

"Actually I think Carmen and I should go. I mean Araidne hasn't had any fighting experience." Eames made a valid point but there was some other underlying reason to why he wanted me to go. Cobb shook his head,

"Eames and you will draw their fire and Ariadne and I will try to clear the remaining guards." We went on our marry way,

"Why did you want me to come with you?"

"So smart darling. I made a promise to a friend that I'd look after you love." Arthur. He smirked at me as we came upon a group of guards. We fired into them and took a good chunk of them out before they were able to fie back. We slid down the slope and with the guards on our tail. We lost a few that hit trees on the way down.

"Eames, hold on to me." I turned around and Eames grabbed my arm as I fired my gun at our pursuers. They were falling one by one.

We made our way down the slope with relatively nobody following us. We found the hole that Saito and Fischer had blown in the side of the building,

"I'll stay here for a few minutes love just to make sure we're in the clear."

"Alright. Be careful Eames."

"Same with you darling." So I climbed the stairs. I found Saito lying on the ground dying and I watched in horror as Mal shot Fischer.

"Mal!" She whipped around and smiled at me. I circled around her and my back was to the window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Cobb Pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No! Carmen, get out of the way!" But it was too late I had already pulled the trigger. I watched in complete horror as the bullet broke through the window and hit Carmen in the shoulder. She fell to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Carmen pov~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Shouldn't have gotten in the way honey." My shoulder was throbbing and I realized what had happened. I moved right in front of Cobb's shot. She turned her back to face Fischer and I pulled my gun out,

"Hey Mal." She turned around and I shot her. "That was for Mauro." And she fell to the ground. I let out a pained breath and tried to stand. I made my way over to Fischer just as Eames came running up the steps.

"Bloody hell! What happened to you?"

"I got in the way of Cobb's shot."

"And him."

"He got in the way of Mal's" Eames smirked at me,

"Well you still have your sarcasm."

"You can't shoot that out of me."

"Is he dead?" Cobb and Ariadne had just arrived,

"Yeah, he's dead." Eames ran a hand over his head.

"He'll be in limbo." I shook my head and gripped my shoulder.

"We've failed."

"Why don't we go into limbo? Get him back. Revive him on the kick." I smiled at Ariadne,

"Cobb…" He let out a sigh,

"It just might work." Eames pulled out some charges and smiled at me,

"Arthur's going to be furious with me when he finds out I let you get shot."

"And he'll kill me when I finds out I was the one who shot you." I smiled and laughed at the guys trying to bite back the pain,

"Tell him it was me. I got in the way. It's what I do." Eames laughed and hooked Cobb, Ariadne, and I up to the device.

Now it was dangerous.

Now we were going four dreams in.

Into limbo.


	13. Then there were two

We washed up on the beach to reveal a crumbling city.

"Mal and I, we built this. We lived here fifty years. The city was empty. We went through the city which held an eerie quietness to it. We passed Mal's old house ad then the house that Dom and Mal had together.

"In reality we couldn't decide where to live. But here. Here we could live in all of them."

We made our way to what looked like a huge mall. We walked through the deserted halls of it and out the other side of it to a small house. We walked into the little house and found Mal in the kitchen. We noticed their kids, Philipa and James, playing in the corridor. Their backs to us. Cobb sat down beside Mal.

"You can see them if you want. Philipa James." Cobb looks away and shuts his eyes.

"I won't see their faces until I go home. Back to reality." She ran her hand over the knife that sat on the table.

"Hello Carmen."

"Hello Mal."

"Where is Fischer?" She turned her attention back to Cobb.

"Stay with me and I'll tell you." I knew what Cobb was doing. He was going to say goodbye. He was finally going to let go.

"But Cobb-"

"Alright. I'll stay."

"He's on the porch."

"Araidne go look out on the porch." She did and found him tied up there. The storm had begun signaling that the kick back was happening.

"What do we do?"

"Go."

"But what about you and Cobb?"

"I'll take care of Cobb. Just go." I watched as Fischer and Araidne went over the side of the house. Mal stood and stabbed Cobb and I pulled out my gun and shot her.

"I'm sorry Cobb."

"You left me. You promised that we would grow old together. You're confused, this is the real world. You should stay here."

"I'm so sorry. I gave you that idea. That what you were in was not reality. I didn't know it would manifest and take hold of you. I'm so sorry." My shoulder throbbed and I couldn't stand the scene before me. I jumped and I felt the wind rush through my hair. I woke in the third dream to find Fischer pulling out a pin wheel he made as a kid. The building began to collapse and we woke up in the second dream. Free falling in an elevator. Then darkness. I wake up to Arthur unbuckling my seatbelt and pulling up through the water. I gasped for breath when we reached the surface.

"Where's Cobb?"

"Where's Saito?"

"Cobb's going to bring Saito back." Arthur let out a breath and lay back on the rocks pulling me with him.

Fischer told "Browning" aka Eames, about his plans for the company. Arthur pulled me closer to him but his hand had grazed over my shoulder. I gasped in pain and he pulled back his hand to find my blood on it.

"You're bleeding?"

"I'm fine." I kissed him on the lips hoping to shut him up so he didn't get to angry at the guys.

"How'd you get shot?"

"Oh just shut up and kiss me." I pulled his chin to me and pressed my lips to his.

Somewhere in the middle of the kissing I woke up on the plane. We **all ** woke up on the plane. Fischer, Eames, Yusuf, Araidne, Arthur, me, Cobb, and Saito. Nobody was left in limbo. I let out a sigh of relief and slumped down into my chair. We got our stuff and offloaded the plane. We watched as Cobb gave his passport to the officials. I was holding my breath praying that Saito had held true to his word.

"Welcome back to the country Mr. Cobb." I let out the breath I was holding and hugged Arthur. I was so happy. Arthur and I along with Eames and Araidne went to a restaurant and spent most of the night just talking.

"I'm going to head out guys. I'm meeting my cousin in the morning."

"Bye Araidne." And then there were three. Eames was one of my best friends. We talked for a few more hours until the clock read two in the morning and then Eames said goodbye as well,

"Well, I should get moving. I've got a lot more places to go to. And a lot more people to scam." I laughed and hugged Eames goodbye,

"Goodbye darling. Don't get in anymore trouble."

"Eames," Arthur and Eames shook hands, "be safe."

"And you too. Take care of her. I know it'll be a hard task, but…I think you can handle it." He grinned at me and I glared back.

Then there were two. Arthur and I walked to a small hotel down the street and got a room. On the ride up I laid my head down on his shoulder and shut my eyes. When we reached the fifth floor we made our way to room four fifty two.

"A bed." I was so tired. I lied down on the bed and shut my eyes. I felt the bed sink and a weight pinning me down. I opened my eyes to see Arthur's eyes staring back. I smiled at him and wrapped my arms around his neck. His soft lips met mine and I felt his tongue trace my lower lip and I gladly accepted. His tongue fought with mine and I felt as though I was lost in a dream. He pulled back and smiled at me before reaching over and shutting the light off and his lips resuming their place on mine and his hands roaming my body.

If this was a dream then I was in no hurry to wake up.


End file.
